State braces for ‘long duration’ cold and snow danger

With up to two feet of snow barreling towards Massachusetts on Sunday and continuing into Monday, Gov. Maura Healey activated the state emergency operations center Friday and instructed many state workers to stay home Monday .

The Pioneer Valley is projected to get between 12-18 inches of snow from the storm. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for all of western Massachusetts from 7 a.m. Sunday until 8 p.m. Monday.

The governor declared Monday a remote work day for non-essential state employees and encouraged private sector employers to consider doing the same. She suggested people stay indoors, and eventually off the roads, amid a forecast that calls for dangerously cold temperatures followed by the biggest snowstorm the Bay State has seen in a couple years.

“We haven’t had one of these like this this year, so it is a big deal for the state,” Healey said, describing the preparations that include staging snow removal equipment and public safety resources ahead of the storm.

The governor gave her weekend forecast during a press conference at the State House on Friday afternoon: “Starting tonight (Friday) through tomorrow, we should see temperatures in the single digits and low teens. We’ll also see wind chills in the low single digits. So the risk of frostbite is great if you’re outside for any amount of time. On Sunday, we expect to see the snow start in the morning. It’s going to move south to north across the state, continuing through Monday. We estimate total snowfall to be between 12 inches and two feet.”

Dawn Brantley, director of the Mass. Emergency Management Agency, said the state is also activating all three of its regional emergency operations centers (in Agawam, Tewksbury and Franklin) to “maintain real-time communication and support to local emergency management and public safety partners.”

“This is a long duration storm. We’re looking at dangerous cold, then more than a day of snow with travel impacts and cold lingering behind it,” Brantley said. She added, “This weekend is really about planning ahead, limiting your risk and staying informed, especially because these impacts will last through Monday, stay warm and reduce your time outside. If you don’t need to go outside, don’t; especially overnight Friday into Saturday during those coldest periods.”

The Department of Transportation has more than 3,200 pieces of snow removal equipment ready to be put into use. Jonathan Gulliver, the state highway director, expects to deploy that full fleet at the height of the storm.

“This is a pretty big and intense storm with a long duration,” he said. “Our salt supplies for both pre-treatment and for salt during the storm are in really good shape. Our salt sheds are full. We are ready to go.”

If people must be on the roads Monday, Gulliver advised using extreme caution.

“A storm of this size, it takes us, typically, about four hours to clean up after the snow stops. So keep that in mind if you do need to be out and about on Monday,” he said.

MBTA Chief Operating Officer Ryan Coholan said the transit system anticipates running a normal Sunday schedule across the system this Sunday, followed by normal weekday service on the core system Monday. Buses will run on snow routes though, which could mean small changes to their schedules.

Commuter Rail will operate on a reduced storm schedule Monday, he said, “focused on getting essential workers in and out of Boston.” Ferry service will also be reduced.

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